Goal-Setting and Library Visit

Schoolgirl Who Devoured 942 Books in One Year Tells Us Why She Loves Reading 10-year-old Faith Jackson of Altrincham, England loves to read. How much? In 2014, this Mighty Girl read 942 books -- an average of 464 pages a day! It’s a remarkable feat all on its own, but even more inspiring considering that the avid reader used to struggle with literacy. Now, she’s thrilled to be spreading the word about the joys of reading with other kids. 

When Faith was around six or seven, she could barely read at all. Her mother, Laura Jackson, says, “When they tested her it came back as having dyslexic tendencies.” However, both her parents found ways to encourage her to keep trying. "I think the main thing was we didn't push her and they didn't make her read all the time at school. We just read to her instead to help her enjoy books rather than making it a big deal. It finally did click for her -- and then it just went off into the stratosphere.” (Via A Mighty Girl)

Faith Jackson and some of her books.

To learn more about Faith's story and watch a video of her explaining why she loves reading, visit here. 

Accelerated Reader Goal-Setting  Today, let's think about our own reading practice and examine where we are, where we have been, and where we are going. First, I will distribute some reading data to each of, which, among other things, indicates your current reading level as well as your ZPD (which stands for Zone of Proximal Development and is a suggestion of the reading levels you should currently be reading). I want you to record this data along with the corresponding colors (see below for reference) on your 3rd Quarter Reading Log. Next, please login to the Accelerated Reader site, click "Progress," then click "Current Marking Period," and review how you did with regards to achieving last quarter's goal. What will your reading goal be this quarter? Once you have decided and cleared it with me, go ahead and indicate your 3rd Quarter Reading Goal on your current Reading Log. I will later enter that goal into the Accelerated Reader system so you can track your current progress. Good luck this quarter! 

Library Visit  Now let's head on over to the library and find books that are within our Zone of Proximal Development, are of interest to us, and will help us reach our 3rd Quarter Reading Goal! Please bring with you any books that you are returning or renewing, along with your student ID card.   

Homework   (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the new 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on both your 100 Word Challenge: '...what was that I could feel?...' (Week 18) story and Summary of "Shattered Lives", both of which are due and will be published on Friday, January 23.     

100 Word Challenge and Summary Writing

This Week's Prompt: What was that I could feel?

 Today's Learning Objectives  (1.) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. (2.) Provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

100 Word Challenge: Can You Feel It?  This week's 100 Word Challenge is going to require you to get connected to your sense of touch. The prompt is below.  

What exactly are you touching or feeling? What does it feel like? Are you literally touching something or experiencing a feeling? How will this moment, this sensation, fit in the whole of your narrative? 

To help some of you get started I'm providing you with lists below of touching and feeling words that may help you describe and your reader picture what is being felt? 

You can find the assignment 100 Word Challenge: '...what was that I could feel?...' (Week 18) in your Language Arts folders. 

Summary Writing: "Shattered Lives"  Last week you read the non-fiction article "Shattered Lives" from Scope Magazine about the current refugee crisis in Syria and the Middle East. Today you will write a summary paragraph of that article. What is summarizing?

You can find the assignment Summary of "Shattered Lives" in your Language Arts folder. To help you practice the skill of summarizing, the paragraph has been scaffolded; all you need to do is complete the missing pieces. The assignment also contains several guiding questions to help remind you of the relevant details in the article.       

Library Visit Tomorrow  We are scheduled to visit the school library tomorrow. If you need to renew or replace, please make sure your bring your books along with your student ID card. 

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the new 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: '...what was that I could feel?...' (Week 18) story, which we will publish on Friday, January 23. (3.) Complete the assignment Summary of "Shattered Lives", which is due on Friday, January 23.  

Aloha Friday!

Warm-Up: 10 Minutes of Academic Free Time  Happy Friday! You have 10 minutes to use in any academic way you see fit, including: putting the finishing touches on this week's 100 Word Challenge, fine-tuning your CAP Scholarship essay, taking an A.R. quiz, reading or checking out a book, communicating with teachers, or researching a topic of interest. Your 10 minutes begins now. Go!

100 Word Challenge: Publishing Time  Now it's publishing time! Copy your 100 World Challenge: '...the light was SO bright...' (Week 17) story from your Google Doc and then login to Kidblog. Make a new post. Give your story an appropriate title; just make sure you put 100 WC: before it. Paste your story. Please color or bold the words from this week's prompt, so your readers can locate them easily. Finally, click "Publish".  

Next, copy the web address of your posted story and then head over to 100 Word Challenge. Scroll down and paste the web address into the box that says 'Blog Link'. Enter your first name, 6th Grade, Lakeview Middle School, and for location: Watsonville, California, U.S.A. Finally, click 'Submit'.

Guided Reading of 'Shattered Lives': Focus on Central Ideas and Details  We will now continue reading the narrative nonfiction article "Shattered Lives" together. As we read, our objective is still to determine the central ideas of the text by focusing on the article's details. You can find the assignment "Shattered Lives": Central Ideas and Details in your Language Arts folders.

Homework  (1.) Make sure you read for 30 minutes at least once over the weekend and make an entry on your new 3rd Quarter Reading Log. Don't forget to try one of the 100 New Year's Reading Resolutions for 2015 and make note of it on your log. I will be grading this week's Reading Log on Tuesday, January 20. (2.) Complete the assignment "Shattered Lives": Central Ideas and Details, which will be due next Friday, January 23.    

Narrative Nonfiction: 'Shattered Lives'

 Today's Learning Objective  Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details.

Preparing to Read 'Shattered Lives': Video and Vocabulary Preview  Today we will read a powerful story about an 11-year-old refugee of the Syrian war, the broader refugee crisis in the Middle East, and the humanitarian efforts in the region. But before we read, we will watch a video in which the author of the article "Shattered Lives," Scope Magazine's Kristin Lewis, introduces her story and provides some background about the current refugee crisis in the Middle East. 

Next, we will preview some of the key vocabulary in the story featured below. 

Guided Reading of 'Shattered Lives': Focus on Central Ideas and Details  We will now read the narrative nonfiction article "Shattered Lives" together (a copy of the article has also been placed in your Language Arts folders). As we read, our objective is to determine the central ideas of the text by focusing on the article's details. Remember, a central idea is one of the main points the author is making and is always supported with details from the text. You can find the assignment "Shattered Lives": Central Ideas and Details in your Language Arts folders. 

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the new 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Complete your 100 World Challenge: '...the light was SO bright...' (Week 17) story, which we will publish tomorrow, Friday, January 16. (3.) Complete your Cabrillo Advancement Program (CAP) Scholarship Essay (and the application if you're actually applying for the scholarship), which is also due tomorrow, Friday, January 16.   

From Watsonville to the Ivy League

Brothers Edgar and Cesar Garcia Lopez immigrated to the United States from Mexico as children, graduated from
Lakeview Middle School Watsonville High and are finding success at Ivy League universities.

Local News: Lakeview Graduates Prove that Hard Work Pays Off  There have been many sad stories in the news recently, but I just came across one article that filled me with pride and joy and an overwhelming feeling of hope. Scrolling through my Facebook news feed over winter break, I noticed an article featuring two of my former students. Brothers Edgar and Cesar Garcia Lopez, children of immigrants, had graduated from Lakeview Middle School and Watsonville High and gone on to attend two  of the most prestigious universities in the nation, Brown and Yale. "Watsonville's not just about violence and strawberries. It's about people going off and making it," shared Edgar. Let's get inspired and read together the amazing and true story of Edgar and Cesar.

 

Edgar graduated as Watsonville High's valedictorian. 

Special Guest: Edgar Garcia Lopez  After sharing and commenting on the news article above, I received a new friend request on Facebook. It was Edgar. I asked if he would be interested in coming back to Lakeview to share his story and answer your questions, and he said 'yes.' So between packing and preparing to return to "Brown University" today, Edgar has found time to be here with us. We are lucky to have Edgar as our guest. What sorts of questions would you like to ask? Perhaps you want to know, What is college like? What were your experiences growing up in Watsonville? How did you prepare for college? What are you planning to do after you graduate from university? Edgar has an important to story to share and can be an inspiration for all of us. "It's not about being smart," Edgar said. "It's about being driven. That's how I got where I am. That's how my brother got where he is." 

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the new 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on your 100 World Challenge: '...the light was SO bright...' (Week 17) story, which we will publish on Friday, January 16. (3.) Complete your Cabrillo Advancement Program (CAP) Scholarship Essay (and the application if you're actually applying for the scholarship), which is also due on Friday, January 16.   

Introducing a New Writing Rubric

Introducing a New Writing Rubric for the 100 Word Challenge  As we continue to improve and refine our writing in the new year, I thought it important for us to revisit the way we assess our writing. A rubric can be a powerful tool that defines expectations, informs us about how we are doing, and makes clear our areas of strength and areas that we need to improve upon. My colleagues and I have created a new 100 Word Challenge Rubric that provides more specific feedback about various areas related to your writing and more clearly defines what "proficiency" is. Today let's examine the rubric together, clarify its components, and practice using it. Note: a copy of the the new rubric has also been placed in your Language Arts folders.  

As you can see, for your writing piece to be considered "Proficient" it needs to meet five clearly defined criteria. Let's briefly review these five criteria, as well as some student samples that showcase them.

1. Demonstrates command of the conventions of the standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Does your piece of writing, for the most part, include proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling? If so, you will receive a point for meeting this criteria. Check out the skillful use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in the writing sample below. 

2. Uses correct and varied sentence structures.  To earn a point here, not only most you form proper sentences, for example, by avoiding fragments and run-ons, but you must also vary the types and lengths of your sentences. No one wants to read one short, choppy simple sentence after the other. Skillful writers vary the sentence structures they use, which makes their writing much more interesting and improves the way it flows. Take note of the variety of different sentence structures in the writing selection below. 

3. Uses precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language. Do you carefully choose descriptive words and phrases and incorporate sensory details that allow your reader to visualize what you are writing about? If you consistently try to paint a picture with your words, you should have no trouble earning a point in this category. Marvel at the exquisite use of precise words, descriptive details, and sensory language in the writing piece featured below.

4. Uses consistent verb tenses and correct verb forms. Not only do we want to make sure we are using the grammatically correct form of a verb, but we also want to make sure we are using a particular verb tense consistently. One of the most common pieces of feedback we receive from our 100 Word Challenge commenters is that we need to be more careful in staying in one particular tense. What are they referring to? Too many of us, for example, float from the past tense to the present tense and back to the past tense, sometimes without rhyme or reason. Our verb tense usage is often inconsistent, which can be jarring for the reader. Notice how the writer below skillfully and consistently writes in the past tense. 

5. Organizes a clear event sequence that unfolds logically and naturally. Even though in the 100 Word Challenge you are limited to a set number of words, you are still generally supposed to be telling a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, albeit a short one. Do the sequence of events in your narrative unfold naturally and in a way that makes sense to the reader? Do you sometimes employ transitions and transitional phrases to help move the action along? Do you have a somewhat established beginning, middle, and end? If so, the point for this criteria is yours for the taking. Check out the clear event sequence and storytelling wizardry of the narrative below.  

6. (Optional) Skillfully incorporates dialogue. Looking to take your narrative to the next level? Try incorporating some dialogue. Dialogue can add a level of authenticity and intimacy to your story, while further enabling your readers to immerse themselves into the world you are creating. Even including just a few select quotes from your characters can transform a good story into a great one. Check out how skillfully, but sparingly, the student below included dialogue in their piece of writing.       

Practicing Using the Rubric  Now that you better understand the different components of the new rubric and what represents proficiency, let's practice using it to assess student writing. Below you will find two examples of 100 Word Challenge stories written by two different students (not from our classes). Read each student's story, and then with a partner determine which of the proficiency criteria were met by the student and how many points were earned. Did either earn an extra point for incorporating dialogue? Based on the rubric, would you consider their writing to be Advanced, Proficient, Close to Proficient, Progressing, or Needing Practice?

Story Example #1

Story Example #2

Now try using the rubric to assess your own writing. Visit Kidblog and select one of your previously published stories. Self-assess your chosen piece using the new rubric. According to the rubric, how did you do? What are your strengths and areas you need to focus on? 

Writing Time  If time permits, you may use the rest of the period to work on this week's 100 Word Challenge. Please think about the new rubric criteria as you write and make sure you are doing your best to work towards a level of proficiency.

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the new 3rd Quarter Reading Log. Don't forget to try one of the 100 New Year's Reading Resolutions for 2015 each week and make note of it on your Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on your 100 World Challenge: '...the light was SO bright...' (Week 17) story, which we will publish on Friday, January 16. (3.) Complete your Cabrillo Advancement Program (CAP) Scholarship Essay (and the application if you're actually applying for the scholarship), which is also due on Friday, January 16.  

New Year, New Beginning

New Year's Reading Resolutions  Welcome back! I hope each of you had a wonderful and relaxing winter break and that you feel refreshed, renewed, and ready for the new year. Many of us use the the new year as an opportunity for a new beginning; as a chance to start over and begin anew. We often make resolutions or commitments to work on or improve certain things about ourselves. 

In addition to any personal resolutions you may have made, I would like all of us to recommit ourselves to becoming better and more enthusiastic readers in 2015. Below is a list of 100 New Year's Reading Resolutions for 2015 (A copy has also been placed in your Language Arts folders). My hope is that you will try to complete as many as possible and in the process further strengthen your enthusiasm for books, literacy, and reading. Each week I'm going to ask you to try a least one new reading resolution and make note of it on your new 3rd Quarter Reading Log (which can also be found in your Language Arts folders).      

Introducing a New 100 Word Challenge  Not only must we recommit ourselves to our reading in the new year; we must also recommit ourselves to our writing. The 100 Word Challenge provides us with a great platform to practice our writing craft. Are you ready to learn this week's 100 Word Challenge prompt? 

Where will the bright light in your narrative come from? What is its significance? How will you enable your reader to visualize it? Get those creative juices flowing and construct a story that incorporates this week's '... the light was SO bright...' prompt. Looking for some different ways to describe light? Consider using the word lists here and here. You can find the assignment 100 World Challenge: '...the light was SO bright...' (Week 17) in your Language Arts folders. 

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the new 3rd Quarter Reading Log. Don't forget to try one of the 100 New Year's Reading Resolutions for 2015 each week and make note of it on your Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on your 100 World Challenge: '...the light was SO bright...' (Week 17) story, which we will publish on Friday, January 16. (3.) Complete your Cabrillo Advancement Program (CAP) Scholarship Essay (and the application if you're actually applying for the scholarship). Final deadline: this Friday, January 16.